Re:union [Kindle Edition]

Eric Liu (Author)

Book Description

I was born twice, but the first time wasn’t my choice. In fact I don’t remember anything about it. The second time, now that's a different story. It began with a game.

Re:union is a previously unreleased science fiction short story by Eric Liu, author of the science fiction novel "Terrene: the hidden valley." Part disaster story and part romance, Re:union is a thrilling and touching exploration, delving into the very meaning of humanity.

Product Details

• File Size: 109 KB
• Print Length: 17 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: ELCK Publishing; Kindle Edition edition (January 17, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004K1F1TK
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,118 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)
  • #10 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Science Fiction > Anthologies & Short Stories

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable short story July 19, 2011

By Bob

Format:Kindle Edition

Short stories are always difficult and this one deals with themes that have been explored on numerous occasions, however this short story takes a different approach. After a disease that devastated food production there was not enough food to support the population. The main character of the story Troy is looking for his lost love Michelle in what is called "SymSpace". SymSpace is where a vast amount of the population have been "converted" to and "live" in SymSpace, others like Troy can visit Symspace as long as they can afford it. The beginning of the story is quite confusing but it soon becomes clear what is happening.
An enjoyable short story.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An immaginative tale that has some messages August 7, 2011

By Israel Drazin TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Troy has missed Michelle for some fifteen years in this fine sci-fi short story, a tale that stimulates the reader's imagination and provokes thoughts about this world, science, and the future. All was well fifteen years ago before the world was struck by the "Four Horsemen," four diseases that wiped out the plentiful world crops. People starved. Many escaped to other planets. Others gave up and "converted" by giving up their worldly lives and allowing their minds to become part of a computer system where they continued to live in the computer software, a happy eternal virtual but not real life. (Is this a comment on religious conversions?) Michelle disappeared at this time.

Troy wanted to speak to her, hear her, feel her again. He paid dearly to be hooked up to a virtual program where he could do so. But while he saw her, it didn't work well because he didn't pay enough and didn't get the best hook up. While agonizing, he discovers that she is still alive, she hadn't converted or been forced by the government to convert, she was working for the company that did the virtual programs.... I leave the details and the rest for the reader to enjoy.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I think I found a new Sci-Fi author to read! August 27, 2011

By Bethica

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

First of all, I downloaded this book for free. With the descriptive and imaginative scenes, I enjoyed reading this short story so much, I'm going to pick up one of his longer books, which says alot considering I seem to live off of the free books on here.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Dark, fun, and entertaining January 13, 2012

By Marcos

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Overall I enjoyed re:union, not that the storyline was unique, but because it was a fast read and kept my attention throughout. A little jerky in spots but the overall story is knitted together quite nicely. I'll download his novel and post a review on that also.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Would read a long version of this September 7, 2011

By Erin

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

The description is accurate, this is definitely a very short story. I liked the premise of the story a lot and really wish this had been a longer story. A full length version of this would definitely be a book I'd add to my to-read list.

The one thing I noted was that this is apparently classified as "part romance" but it really isn't. There's a guy who has a thing for a girl but that is about it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars I Ain't Got No Body To Love November 20, 2012

By Dean Schechinger

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a fine sci-fi fantasy short story in which boy re;meets girl. However, the high school sweetheart girl is now 1 and 0's of electric impulses in a computer world. If you aren't an avid science fiction fantasy fan, stay away from this story. The dialog is passable and holds the reader's interest. But, I couldn't suspend my belief long enough to get into the story. I don't think a visit into a computer world will ever be possible, a la Matrix or Avatar. I think the author effectively suspended belief to support his future-world vision quite well, but it didn't work for me. Besides, I don't want to be immortal. So, I would run away from this future world as fast as possible. If you don't like science fiction fantasy, you should run away from this story too.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Post apocalyptic thriller November 11, 2012

By Zoe Hill

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

A different twist on a theme that's been played out before, but never this way. I think many short stories inherently lack the substance I enjoy in those thick books by writers such as King. But I really enjoyed this one. I won't recount the plot (as it has been in many other really good reviews here) only to say that it was an enjoyable read. My kind of thriller. I enjoy Koontz & King, I like the mystery of finding out just what is going on and this little short story is no exception. It was quite the enjoyable read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Welcome To Sym City September 3, 2012

By DarthJustice

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Re:Union is a science fiction short story set in the near future. In this possible future, the world's food supply has been ravaged by what is referred to as 4H, aka "the Four Horsemen". Because of 4H, the world was left with not nearly enough food to feed the human population. Enter a science and technological creation known as SymSpace, a virtual reality world. This virtual reality world, however, isn't the internet where you simply log off and go about your life. Because of the food shortage and population, people's brains can be (and have been forcibly in the past) scanned into Symspace where they can entirely live, also known as "Converting".

The main character is a young man and former high school football player who has spent a decade and a half since his parents' passing looking for his lost love, Michelle. The story deals with him looking for her in SymSpace and somewhat debating that living in SymSpace is not really living at all.

All in all, at seventeen pages it was a decent and enjoyable read. It's safe to say that Re:Union is not your typical "post-apocalyptic" story. Not that there's anything wrong with it but many always seem to take the same road--society breaks down, every man for himself, groups are formed that always begin to fight one another, etc. Here, Eric Liu takes us in a difference direction. After countless go hungry and starve, many turned to computers to essentially leave this reality behind. Though really much of this is just backdrop as the primary focus is on Troy trying to find the love of his life who disappeared fifteen years before in SymSpace.

Had I had to actually pay for the short story, I don't think I would have been disappointed.

More About the Author

Eric Liu is a career technologist, amateur sociologist, and passionate futurist. He has technical degrees from MIT and Stanford and has worked in high tech companies in Silicon Valley for over eight years. He exercises his creativity through song, dance, and writing and believes that we make the world stronger by bringing disparate things together: art and industry, science and tradition, corporations and communities, and government and technology.

He believes a story can change the world.

What we read, watch, and discuss can have a real impact on our lives. His mission is to bring environmental issues and technology's role in solving them to the forefront through the power of fiction.

Find out more at:

http://www.terrenevalley.com